Legal Resources: Web Sites

A range of online sources for anyone interested in researching U.S. law free of cost.

Links to laws and legal information including Federal law, court opinions, treaties, legal dictionaries and journals, and copyright information. See Bibliography of Law Resources for a selection of related materials available in ALIC.

FindLaw.com contains free, up-to-date, and easily understandable legal information and tools. They also offer a comprehensive lawyer directory. Their goal is to connect people with legal issues to professionals who are ready to help.

From Nolo.com, one of the best known legal publishers. "Thousands of free articles on everyday legal topics. Our articles are accurate, up to date, and written in plain English."

Offers information for the public and news and education for the local legal community. Includes a lawyer referral service.

Local, state, and federal law research guides, online forms, and much more. Their motto: "Without access to information, there is no justice."

"A Directory of Forms Commonly Used in King County Superior Court." Family law, arbitration,, criminal law forms and more.

From refdesk.com, this site offers a wealth of links to information about many aspects of laws and the legal system.

The Law Library of Congress offers: the Guide to Law Online, an annotated guide to sources of information on government and law (it includes links to useful and reliable sites for legal information from international, multinational, foreign, federal, state, territorial, and tribal jurisdictions). Congress.gov, the official website for U.S. federal legislative information. In Custodia Legis is the Law Library’s blog, with new posts on weekdays. And a broad range of databases and eResources that provide legal and legislative information for the U.S. and around the globe, many accessible online.

These research guides provide a starting point for researching legal topics and these guides recommend relevant materials in the Law Library's collections and online.

Search for state and federal laws, international treaties, law libraries, legal organizations, and many areas of the law.

Includes links to Washington city codes.

The Public Defender Association advances social and racial equity and community health through reform of the criminal legal system. Their efforts include the LEAD National Support Bureau, VOCAL-WA, the Civil Survival Project, and Collective Justice.

Search the compiled laws of Washington state.

Free search for patents and trademarks.

Search the rules that govern Washington state government agencies.

The home site for Washington State courts. Includes information on court forms and instructions, a court directory and information on jury duty.

Fill out many legal documents online for free. Answer questions to complete the documents you need. If you don't find what you are looking for here, go to the Legal Topics menu and choose a topic area or search.

Washington LawHelp is a library of free "know your rights" articles, videos, court forms and do-it-yourself packets covering many common legal issues such as family law, eviction/housing, public benefits and money/debt problems.

"The WSBA’s mission is to serve the public and the members of the Bar, to ensure the integrity of the legal profession, and to champion justice."

"Provides free public access to the precedential, published appellate decisions from the Washington State Supreme Court and Court of Appeals."

This program prepares students to work in law firms, law-related offices, including the courts, government agencies, non-profits, and corporate legal departments as legal assistants, paralegal assistants, legal receptionists, clerks, litigation practice assistants, and legal support professionals.